


to cherish and shelter you

by Romennim



Series: Soulmate Short Stories [3]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, M/M, Past Abuse, Past Child Abuse, Soulmates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-09-26
Updated: 2016-09-26
Packaged: 2018-08-17 12:44:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,317
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8144495
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Romennim/pseuds/Romennim
Summary: In a world where soulmates feel each other's severe pain, Len won't let Lewis harm his newborn soulmate.





	

**Author's Note:**

> betaed by the lovely ladychild

Len is sixteen when the pain hits him out of nowhere. It is like nothing he's ever felt before, covering his entire body with pinpricks of fire. He gasps, lungs lacking air, until the pain subsides to a dull throb and he can breathe normally.

For a moment, his mind is a confused mess of hope and agony. Then determination fills him.

He has ever wondered how it would be like to feel his soulmate being born and now he knows. After giving up on ever having one, his soulmate is taking their first breath in the world.

He takes a deep breath, barely noticing the old couple strolling in the park who had stopped to look at him in concern. He’d always thought he’d have a choice in life, but now… now he doesn’t. His soulmate is born and Leonard will be damned if he’ll let Lewis harm another innocent child.

***

He goes to pick up his little sister at school and while he waits he thinks how strange it is that he’s now determined to do something that until a few hours ago he had almost ruled out of his mind. Then, leaning against the wall, he looks at his right arm, that Lewis has broken three times by now and that pains him when it snows, and really, it’s a simple decision.

When Lisa runs to him, smiling up at him brightly, he feels a pang of anxiety at what he’s about to do, but Lisa will be well, he knows.

***

He looks up at the door leading inside the precinct and he swallows, hand clenching tightly around the package about to damn his father forever, the other holding his dear sister. Len can do this. He doesn’t trust cops, but he trusts that a detective Lewis despises is the kind of person who will take to heart abuse against a seven year old child.

***

Detective Chyre is young, not a decade older than Len, but has earned his job three times over. He’s clearly surprised to see him near his desk with Lisa, where a kind officer has led him to, and he’s wise enough not to mention Len’s father. They find a nice lady cop to play with his sister while Len goes to seal his and his sister’s fate forever. There’s no going back after this.

Five hours later, when Len’s throat is so dry that not even a lungful of water can make a difference and Len’s heart is worn out by all the telling and retelling he’s had to do, and Chyre’s partner has listened to part of the tapes Len’s given them, the detective looks bone deep tired, not unlike Len, Len is sure.

Chyre seems to have just one last question for him.

“Why do this? Why now?” _after all these years you endured_ , it goes without saying.

Len looks away, then, as if this is what breaks him, when not even recalling Lewis’ torture was enough to make him divert his eyes.

“My soulmate was born today.”

There’s nothing more to say after that.

***

Child service takes both him and his sister after that, while Chyre goes to arrest his father personally. The next months are a whirlwind, where the only fixed point is his sister. There are the court appearances, the testimonies, the end of the trial. Chyre takes him under his wing and promises him help to get emancipated to have custody of his little sister. So far they’d been lucky and stayed with the same family, but Len is aware of how the system works. It’s the reason why until his soulmate was born he wouldn’t have said anything about his father’s abuse: he’d taken the abuse on himself willingly if that meant not losing his sister.

But he’s beaten his father. He can take on the system now that the system has helped him.

***

Twenty-five years later, Len is sitting at his desk, finishing up his report and carefully keeping an eye on his new partner. The newbie has just arrested a mugger and is preening under the bullpen attention. Len finds it amusing and a bit endearing. After almost fifteen years chasing murders and rapists, the enthusiasm of new blood is always refreshing, even if short-lived, unfortunately.

A part of him still finds it ironic to be here: someone would say he’d followed his father’s footsteps after all, but he’d actually followed Chyre’s, the only, real ‘hero’ of his younger years. He can’t tell where either he or Lisa would be if not for him.

But father figures have a way to shape a person’s life even unwillingly. Just in the bullpen there’s Len’s case, and Barry Allen’s.

Barry, who is now talking quietly to his adopted sister and who is the youngest forensic CCPD has ever seen, a brilliant and sharp scientific mind, coupled with the cutest, clumsiest ways Len’s ever seen.

He shakes his head and looks away from Barry’s handsome face. Even if Barry weren’t seventeen years younger than him ( _just like Len’s soulmate_ , a traitorous voice whispers), Len has a soulmate and has a deep respect of both Chyre and West’s protectiveness for the kid. Chyre is Chyre and Joe has been a close friend since their time at the Academy.

Said men have just gone out on a hunch from Barry (and really Chyre should stop teasing the kid for his mental leaps, since they’re corroborated by evidence and science), when for the second time in his life pain like he’s never felt before hits him out of nowhere. This time, though, his heart stops and Len’s barely aware of voice shouting all around him when the entire world goes black.

***

When he comes to, he’s in a room with a bright, white ceiling and Barry Allen’s seating on a chair at his bedside, holding his hand.

“What-?” he barely croaks out, when Barry smiles brightly at him.

“Oh, you’re awake! Finally! You’re late, you know. Three whole weeks after me-”

Len shakes his head at the flow of words.

“I don’t-” he rasps out, then coughs.

Barry puts an ice chip in his mouth before he can protest. The cheek of this kid!

When Len’s throat feels human again, Len, still sucking on the chip, pointedly looks at the hand holding his and Barry flushes, free hand scratching his head, but the kid doesn’t let go.

“Ehm… there’s no better way to tell you, so… we’re soulmates!” Barry blurts out.

Len’s eyes widen in disbelief. He swallows.

“What?” he stupidly asks.

Barry frowns minutely at him.

“We’re soulmates, Detective.-” and here Len winces minutely at the title, thinking of Chyre, and West, “Aren’t you-” Barry starts asking, unsure, but clears his throat. “I can prove it!” he goes on and before Len can say anything, out of nowhere Barry has a knife in his free hand and cuts a patch of skin on his bare arm. Immediately blood starts flowing and Len feels pain in his left arm. After a few seconds, the cut on Barry’s arm disappears, and so does Len’s pain.

Len’s brain can only process one thing at a time.

“Did you just cut yourself with a blade?” he asks, hard, in the same voice he uses to intimidate suspects. It works even on Barry, who looks contrite.

“Sorry?” he asks, hesitantly, and Len shakes his head, because strange healing aside, he’s just woken up after who knows how long and his soulmate is right here in front of him, and he’s okay and beautiful and everything Len’s ever hoped for, and really, if Len has ever learned something in his life, is not to waste time. So he drags his soulmate forward, until Barry sits on the bed next to him.

Barry’s lovely eyes are wide and bright.

“Just come here.” Len says, voice hoarse, and leans forward for a kiss.

**Author's Note:**

> I'm on a soulmate trip lately. Come to my tumblr (romennim) and leave me prompts if you want. I don't promise to fill them, but I'll try!


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